AN: Short Chapter is short.
Congrats to Maxxmuffin for guessing last week's riddle correctly. The answer: Riddle! It's like a riddle inside a riddle! Riddlception! Enjoy your cookie and your acknowledgement.
(::)
Puzzle: What has one head, one foot, and four legs?
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add magic wands.
Chapter 107
The Problem with Mercy
[Noman]
I never thought about it before, but appearance can matter. It's not just about having a positive mindset or trying to convey a charming attitude. What matters is looking approachable.
Most Crafters would avoid a shifty looking character, because, nine times out of ten, that shifty character could be a mugger. On the other hand, a Crafter could look like an innocent Nana, and, one time out of ten, turn out to be a ruthless gang lord.
The point being, I never considered how I looked. I was a Crafter wearing diamond armor (and a blue leather tunic). Diamonds were rare and expensive, meaning I either did a lot of mining or had a lot of emeralds. And since I also (sort of) broke up a fight in a display of my shield prowess, I demonstrated I was moderately skilled. To the passive observer, I probably looked like a veteran Crafter.
I disagreed.
Old Man Bailey had taught me well, but I didn't consider myself a prodigy in aikido. Not to mention, I bought all my gear. There was nothing skillful about me. Everything worth anything about me was in the Severe Shield, and I was terrified of using it. Now more than ever.
All life is precious, and yet I have something that could kill a Crafter in an instant.
That's why Bailey trained me to fight without killing. Something I greatly appreciated and used whenever I could to spare lives and stop conflict.
And while my aikido hadn't stopped the fight, it had impressed the four Crafters sat before me at the table.
"An escort?" I clarified after we had ordered a round of drinks (I had water).
"Yes." The nervous female, Annette, nodded. "The four of us are from Exter. We're heading to Zeppil to participate in the Parkour Games. We made it halfway when we… well…"
"We ran into trouble." Another of the four, Sam, chimed in. The others looked rather embarrassed to admit it, but he went on unashamed. "We encountered new Mobs across the Mesa and came across some bandits and Griefers. It's been one misfortune after another, and we've only just crossed into Zeppil's territory. We can't take any more risks."
"We don't have the emeralds to hire a professional, so we've been scoping out this pub, looking for someone strong-looking to provide us extra muscle." The third Crafter, Conrad, explained. "You seemed nice enough to break up that fight, so we sort of hoped…" He trailed off, but I understood the gist of it.
"I see." I nodded, looking over the four. Their logic made sense and there was an almost desperate tone in their voice, so I was pretty sure they were telling the truth. Maybe it was my experiences with Nana Widow and Leadstripe, but I never fully trusted people I just met. Appearances mattered, but they could also be made to deceive. To conceal what lay beneath.
But what would Bailey have done? He offered his home to Griefers to teach them how to feed themselves. He wouldn't abandon a group of Crafters if their lives were at risk. Plus, I was heading to Zeppil anyway. Fighting as a team could be better for everyone. We could keep each other safe.
I wouldn't get paid, but I had more emeralds than I knew what to do with.
"Well, I don't see any reason to refuse." It felt good seeing their expressions brighten. Annette, Sam, Conrad, and the last one, Eric. "I'm heading to Zeppil too, so it's not out of my way at all."
"Oh, are you participating in the Games?"
"Uh, just business." I answered vaguely. "Truth be told I've never heard of the Par Core Games."
"Parkour Games." Eric corrected. "And I'm surprised you haven't. They're an annual competition held in the Kingdom of the Clouds for centuries. The King hosts it, and there's even an after party held in Cloud Castle."
"You seem to know a lot." I said.
"We should. It's our ninth year competing." Sam commented with a bit of pride. "We're gonna win it for sure this year."
"Really, how many times have you said that?" Eric rolled his eyes. "We'll make a good showing, but the odds of us winning are dismal. People from all over will be competing, and they've trained just as hard as us."
"Keep talking like that and we'll lose before we've even begun!" Sam shot back. "We don't need quitter talk. We need winner talk! We will win!"
I smiled at Sam's surefire intensity. "It sounds interesting. If I do see it, I'll be rooting for you all."
"You better."
"A-anyway, thanks for accepting our request, Nowhere." Annette bowed respectfully. "We'll try not to be a burden on you."
"Call me Noman." I corrected while finishing my water. "I'm already packed and ready to go. If you still need time, I can wait somewhere."
"That would be great." Conrad stood up from his chair. "We need to pack our stuff up, but we'll be quick. Meet us at the South Gate in a few minutes."
"Sounds good." I stayed in my chair while the others got up and left, waving and thanking me for my kindness. I leaned back in my chair and smiled as I watched them go.
Traveling with others. I thought to myself, feeling a bit of warmth inside for some reason.
For once, I wouldn't have just a horse to talk to.
[Cobb]
"So what do we know?" I began as I nibbled on some of the food Ines brought out. She was sitting near Lenz, talking about the redstone projects she had hanging around when she could.
"We know that Jolin is a haven for bounty hunters." Lenz explained.
"That's the Law of Desideratum's doing." Ines filled in. "The Berserkers can take whatever they want so long as it's to apprehend criminals. I've had to lay low here because of it." She gestured to her spacious abode.
"And we know the guards took Floyd. They took him unusually fast because…" Soul trailed off, unsure.
"Probably because both the Berserkers and the guards are trying to one-up each other." Jade said.
"I think you are right. When I was at the barracks, there was an open dislike between the guards and the bounty hunters." Lenz said. "And now that I think about it, Ciro_Che stripped down those posters as soon as they were up. Perhaps that was why I could not find yours or Floyd's."
"So the two sides are at each other's throats." I summarized. "And that leaves us…?"
"Smack dab in the crossfire." Soul grumbled. "Both the Berserkers AND the guards want to bring us in. The longer we stay in this Kingdom, the more we're at risk."
"All the more reason we need to rescue Floyd. They can't be allowed to find out he's a…" I trailed off, my eyes straying to Ines, the one person unaware of Floyd's Hacker status. "Well… you know… Also, Thed said he would kill us if anything happened to him, so…"
"But where do we even look for him?" Jade asked.
Lenz hummed to himself. "With so many Crafters competing in hunting down criminals, they must have captured quite a few. They would need a big prison to store that many. Somewhere not easily concealable."
"The only prison in Jolin is the Root Cellar." Ines chimed in helpfully. "It's big. Like, really big. And if it wasn't already obvious, the Root Cellar is here in the Root District. Right beneath our feet."
We all looked down on impulse. We were already deep in the ground beneath the gnarled root Ines called her home, but to hear of a place deeper…
I sighed miserably. "I'm gonna guess that this prison is high security and full of armed guards."
"Naturally."
"Wonderful."
"But, I mean, there is a plus side." Ines offered.
"Really? What is it?"
"I'm not gonna have to go down there."
I made a face at that, much to Ines' amusement. I shouldn't have been surprised. It wasn't like she was obligated to help us rescue him. She gave us a place to lay low, but she was avoiding the guards just as much as us. An engineer shouldn't be breaking into a prison.
And it was with that thought that I turned to Lenz. "There'll probably be a lot of running for the rescue mission. Also low chances of utilizing redstone so maybe—"
"Say no more." Lenz held up his hand. "My skills will be better served elsewhere. Besides, we have a second pressing matter to attend to."
I raised an eyebrow at that, but Lenz answered by holding up a green gem.
"Since arriving here, our supply of emeralds has been drastically reduced. It was a combination of stocking up on much needed supplies and a… wanton desire to buy the best gear." He added, sending a glare Soul's way. The axe-wielder clicked his tongue, patting his new diamond armor protectively.
"Our current funds will not last until Zeppil, and they certainly will not be enough to cover our Airship's exorbitant price tag."
I cursed as Lenz inadvertently let slip where we were heading next. Beside me, I noticed Jade's eyes brighten. Her smile quirked up, but then her eyes darted to mine. She noticed me watching her and quickly schooled her features back to normal.
Ugh, I was hoping we could keep that from her. Now she'll follow us there whether we agree to accept her as a Beginner or not. But what am I supposed to do?
"Well you can't have that!" Ines spoke up. "That airship is all Lenzington has been bragging about. Being denied it would crush him. If it's emeralds you need, then you need to hit up the Bazaar."
"My thoughts precisely." Lenz nodded gratefully before turning back to me. "If you could lend me your golden shovel, I should be able to refill our pockets."
Jade and Ines both looked perplexed. "How is a shovel supposed to help?"
I sheepishly chuckled before taking out the Silk Touch tool and throwing it to Lenz. The two ladies saw the enchanted glow and reached the same conclusion at the same time. I could tell by how their eyes went as wide as saucers and… were those dollar signs in their eyes?
"Lenzington!" Ines grasped the engineer by his clothes, gazing longingly at the shovel. "Is that enchanted with what I think it is!?"
"That's one of the rarest enchantments known to man!" Jade added, grabbing my hoodie in much the same way. "Who gave you that? Where? And why!?"
"That's a story for another time." I chuckled as I pried Jade off of me. "I think it's a good idea, Lenz, but aren't there guards and bounty hunters out there? How are you gonna sell any grass blocks like that?"
"I will just have to be careful." Lenz tried to sound certain, but it sounded forced. "What other choice do we have? We need emeralds. I might not be as market savvy as Erin, but I should be able to secure a reasonable percentage of the asking price."
"Alright, but you'll need someone to guard you in case you run into trouble."
"Same to you. You will be breaking into a prison, after all."
"In that case, Soul you should probably go with—"
"I'm breaking Floyd out of prison."
Soul spoke those words without any room for argument. He was looking at the table before us rather than at me, but I could feel a shift in the mood.
"You… you want to go with me, then?" I tried tentatively.
"No." Soul shot down. "Just me. You and Jade can worry about guarding Lenz. I'm busting Floyd out myself."
"Wha… what are you crazy?" I joked, hoping he was doing the same. But when Soul finally looked up to lock eyes, I could tell he meant it. "You're crazy." I said more firmly. "You realize how many guards are down there?"
"So what, we should leave it to you?" He countered derisively. "You and this green-haired fangirl we don't even know."
Jade colored at his tone, though he did have a point. Jade was still untrustworthy, but that was why I wanted to bring her along on the rescue mission. There was no better time for her to betray us for our bounty than when both Floyd and I were together with her. I would be on the lookout for it, and would turn the tables the second she tried something.
"I'm here to help." She defended. "I'm not risking people's lives getting into pointless dick-measuring contests like you!"
"WHAT!?" Soul roared, leaping to his feet and taking out his axe. Jade gulped, but didn't back down.
"Y-you heard me. You had ender pearls, but you wasted time fighting Brandr. You should have prioritized your own safety instead of showing off your new gear."
"Well maybe I'm not into running away and hiding like some coward who has an infatuation with a naïve and equally cowardly Crafter like Cobb!"
My eyes flashed, even as Jade blushed and stuttered.
'Whoa, whoa! What did I do!?"
"NOTHING!" Soul shouted in exasperation. "You did nothing! And we had to pay for it! There's no way I'm leaving Floyd's rescue to you!"
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, stepping forward. Soul wasted no time getting right in my face.
"You. Let. Hunder. Go!"
I blinked in shock. "I—what?"
"Hunderprest!" He continued, throwing his arms aside. "You let him go! You let him live! He tried to kill us and capture YOU! And you just let him walk away!"
I didn't understand what he was getting at. "We beat him! We—we killed most of his dogs! We—"
"You made him mad!" Soul corrected. "You wounded what you couldn't kill—what you wouldn't kill. And now he's after us again."
"What was I supposed to do, kill him?"
"YES!"
I shook my head. "No… no, no. That's not what we do. We're not killers."
"Why not? The whole world is convinced we're cultists. Nothing we say is gonna change their minds." Soul argued. "And, wouldn't you know it, Hunder didn't care that you spared his life. He was mad! He almost killed Lenz! He wanted to kill Lenz! Because Lenz killed his dogs."
"Wynn told us that the more we kill people, the less innocent we'll look." I reminded him. "We kill in self-defense, sure, but Hunder he—he already lost enough. He was beaten! He gave up! I couldn't just kill him!"
"If you piss someone off, you better be prepared for the consequences. I'm living proof of that. The cultists wounded me, but they couldn't finish me off. And every day I pray for the moment I get to pay them back." Soul shook his head. "But you… I thought you finally got it. I thought you understood after thinking Floyd was dead. The cult doesn't deserve mercy. When are you going to learn that neither do your enemies?"
"We're trying to be better than them. Not worse." I defended. "Wynn would never kill someone in cold-blood, and neither would I."
"And because of that mercy, we're all at risk."
"What risk!?" I threw my arms out. "Newsflash genius! The Berserkers already knew about our posters! They knew our names and faces! They gained nothing from Hunderprest!"
"They didn't know about me and Lenz." Soul countered, making me pause. "They didn't know it was just the four of us. They didn't know what weapons we used or what we looked like. How much better off would we be had you not let him go blabbing to the rest. If I had been there when you took him down, I would have killed him myself."
"Th-that's not's true!" I weakly protested. "He… the Jolin guards took Floyd's map. They would have found all of us anyway, regardless of whether or not—"
"But the Berserkers still wouldn't have known about how we fight! Don't you get it?" Soul jabbed my chest with a finger. "Letting him go was a risk we didn't have to take!"
And all we had to do was kill a man who had already given up. I thought as I shook my head. I refused to do that. Even if he had been a nuisance, even if he hadn't believed we were innocent, Hunder was still a Crafter just doing his job. If Soul had his way, he would have wanted us to kill the guards chasing us too. To him, any and all obstacles needed to be terminated.
Floyd would have agreed with me if he were there. But he wasn't.
I turned my gaze across the table. "Lenz, help me out here. We did the right thing letting Hunder go, right?" A few seconds passed, but the engineer didn't answer.
"Tell Soul he's being unreasonable." I tried again, but to no reply. "…Lenz?"
As I turned to look at him, I saw the engineer with his gaze tilted downward. He slowly got to his feet and looked to me, taking off his tinted glasses.
"Actually, Cobbert… I think Soul has a point."
I couldn't believe it. Lenz—the nerdy engineer, the guy who couldn't even swing a sword—was approving of cold-blooded murder?
"…What?"
"It was noble of you to spare Hunderprest. And it was noble of you to give him your word and honor it." His eyes suddenly hardened. "But it would have been smarter to break your word if it meant keeping us safe."
"You… you wanted me to kill him?"
"I have never been in a position where I had to show mercy. Most of the times, I was at the mercy of those that bullied me." He shook his head sadly. "But I agree with Soul. Mercy is… There is no logic in sparing a foe that will surely attack again. Practically speaking, it is just a risk waiting to happen."
Soul nodded, but not in a pleased way. It was more like grim acceptance. He may have not wanted to kill, but he knew when he needed to. Lenz pulled the golden shovel closer to his chest, almost protectively. Did he think I'd take it back…?
"Because we let him go, Hunderprest told the Berserkers about each of us." Lenz continued, putting his glasses back on to hide his eyes. "They know there are not a lot of us. They know I use redstone. They know Soul uses an axe. And we have to fight him and his dogs again." He finished, holding his arms out pleadingly. "It all could have been avoided had we just… gotten it over with."
Gotten it over with…?
Blood: He's not wrong…
No…
Blood: There are times when violence is necessary... When ruthless, cold-blooded action is the only way others can understand…
Wynn would rather see people brought to justice.
Blood: Are you Wynn?
No. I thought. But… but it still doesn't make it right…
Blood: Give me a break…
I closed my eyes, cutting off Soul and Lenz from sight. "This… isn't the time to talk about this."
"Then when is the time?" Soul asked. "When you're breaking into that prison? Then what happens when a guard or Captain gets in your way. Will you show mercy, then?"
My eyes snapped open. "That is exactly why you shouldn't be there."
"Oh yeah? Why? Because I can do what you can't?"
"Because if you kill a guard, the rest won't take us in alive." I stressed, glowering at the axe-wielder. "Death begets death. And what you're suggesting…" I shook my head. "You need to take a step back and cool off. Remember who the real bad guys are. Because right now, you're sounding every bit like the cultists we're not."
Soul narrowed his eyes and bit back a growl. Lenz titled his head down, averting his gaze, and Jade and Ines remained silent, unsure of whether or not to speak.
"No matter what, we need to remember these guards are just doing their jobs." I stressed. "Maybe you're right about Hunder. Maybe we would be better off." I conceded. "But we don't need a hot-blooded and impulsive Crafter going down to pull off a rescue mission. Am I right?"
Soul scowled at the floor, keeping his mouth shut.
"Soul."
"…Fine." He snapped. "Fine, Cobb. Go with your new pal, Jade. Save Floyd and keep playing innocent. Sooner or later, you'll have to accept the ugly truth." He looked me in the eye. "Mercy is just something our enemies can take advantage of."
"We'll see." I gestured to Jade to get up. Better to leave now before Soul could change his mind. "I'll need your last Potion of Invisibility. And the rest of your Ender Pearls." Soul practically hurled them into my chest. "Oof… thanks…"
"And I'll need whatever grass blocks you got. Might as well sell as much as we have." I handed out my nineteen grass blocks, but without throwing them at the guy. He didn't bother thanking me. "Don't come back here without my friend."
"Never crossed my mind." I said making for the exit. Though, I was forced to stop prematurely. "Er… Ines where's the—"
"Second door on the left."
"Ah. Thank you." Jade and I made our way to the exit. I kept my guard up, tracking her nonchalant walk all the way to the surface.
If Soul only knew. I'm gonna have to split my focus saving Floyd.
If I made one wrong move, Jade would be walking away with two big bounties.
[Floyd]
Second time waking up in a cell. Second time waking up paralyzed.
Unlike before, however, I wasn't given a bed to lie on. I came to my senses with my back pressed against iron bars. The only light illuminating the cell came from outside it. A single torch being the source.
"Don't move, Hacker."
Four armed Berserkers were stationed on the outside, glaring at me with clear hatred… and fear. I could tell by how they refused to lock eyes with me. They practically spat the word out.
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm paralyzed. How am I supposed to move at all?"
"Shut up!"
"Now that's something I can do." I sighed when they repeated the command.
After my last attempt to escape using my Hack, I discovered both good news and bad news.
The good news was that my Speed could apparently counter the paralysis effect. I would only be at normal speed if I Hactivated while paralyzed, but it meant I could move around… for thirty seconds. After that I was back to being numb, whether from the paralysis or from Speed's cool-down.
And that was the bad news. Normal movement for thirty seconds wouldn't help me out of the cage, nor would it get me past the guards watching me like hawks. They had splash potions on hand to keep renewing the paralysis effect. And I had a sneaking suspicion that trying something would end badly for me.
So I was stuck.
And there was no way Cobb or the others would figure out where I was. Last they saw of me, I was taken by the guards. Not the Berserkers. They would have to get it out of Captain Enyeto, which was unlikely.
The other option would be if they got caught. Dahlia said they would try and threaten Cobb into compliance with their Princess assassination plan, so they would capture him and bring the two of us together to show they were as good as their word.
But then… Cobb would go through with killing Princess Alaqua.
If it meant saving me, he would do it in a heartbeat. Just as I would do the same for him, or Soul, or Lenz. The Beginners looked out for one another.
I internally cursed myself, wishing we had never set foot in this twisted Kingdom. If I had known we were walking into a bounty hunter free-for-all, I would have convinced Cobb to run away from Jolin as fast as possible.
And now, here I was, unable to do a thing but wait. Wait until Cobb rescued me or got caught while Dahlia planned to keep her rule over Jolin for an eternity.
I hated it.
Not just that I couldn't do nothing, but that Jolin's people were helpless to do anything either. Fighting back would just get them targeted. And Alaqua fighting back was going to get her killed. And everyone would blame it on the guards not doing their jobs right while it was Dahlia acting from the shadows. It wasn't fair!
And all of this… because of what a Hacker did.
I closed my eyes in silent mourning. Why was it that I always found out about some terrible tragedy my people caused. I was ashamed to even call them my people after all the things they'd done. How could they kill Grum? How could they justify damning Jolin to the mercies of Desideratum?
I was never there for any of it and yet all that hatred would fall on me. Because I was there now, I had to deal with it.
And I couldn't even do that with how paralyzed I was.
I didn't even get the chance to make things right…
As these self-deprecating thoughts bounced around inside my head, I must have drifted off. Being unable to move for an extended period of time will do that to you.
Anyway, around some point, I felt something prod at me, which was strange in itself. Wasn't I supposed to be paralyzed?
That thing kept prodding at me, urging me to wake up. I cracked an eye open, but was greeted only by the same dim lighting of the cell.
My fingers could twitch; a sure sign that the paralysis had worn off. I surged to my feet as quick as I could—
Only for a pair of splash potions to hit my back.
"Gahhhh!" I blurted out in frustration as I sunk to my knees and fell over. It at least gave me a good view of who had woken me up.
"Time for food." Ciro_Che droned as he opened the cell with steak in hand. "I'm not going to chew it for you if that's what you're hoping for."
"Should I be worried you came up with that perverse thought on your own?" I countered smarmily. My stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly, however, causing Ciro to chuckle. "Fine. I'm hungry."
I opened my mouth and Ciro sat down beside me to feed me. It was as awkward as it sounded, but there was little that could be done with me paralyzed. Letting a Hacker move was out of the question.
In between bites, my eyes roved over the rest of the room. "Where are the other guards?"
"I told them they could take a break. It's pretty late, after all." He held up a clock from his belt. "The day after tomorrow. Noon. That's the time of the Review."
My eyes narrowed. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Just letting you know how much time you have to reconsider Dahlia's offer." He leaned forward while feeding me some steak. "It's still not too late. If you'd just accept it, I'm sure she can make a deal that satisfies everyone—"
With my mouth full, I blew out chunks of chewed steak, splattering Ciro_Che's facemask.
"Can you pass on my rebuttal to Dahlia? Just like that?" I grinned cheekily.
Ciro pulled out a piece of paper from his belt and wiped his face. "You are a fool."
"And you're a monster. How can you be okay going along with Dahlia's plan? You have to know that it's wrong."
"…Whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter." Ciro sighed as he stood up. "Jolin's situation is no concern of mine. No. All that matters… is that I get my hands on Grum's Journal Entry."
"I don't know what's so important about a stupid entry, but it can't be worth more than all the lives you're going to ruin getting it."
"…You don't understand."
"Huh?"
"That Journal Entry…" Ciro turned his back on me as he examined his bow. "That Journal Entry could be the key to unlocking a power greater than anything Minecraftia has ever seen."
"Finding it is… everything to me." He clutched the bow to his heart. "Not because of how powerful it is, but because of all the good it could do… and all the evil it can stop." He turned to glare at me over his shoulder. "Evil like your kind."
I didn't know what he was talking about with that whole power speech, but his disdain for me was unquestionable.
"Of course, you should know all about possessing unimaginable power." He continued as he turned to face me. "You're a Hacker; a vessel of destruction. You should be overjoyed at Dahlia's proposal. Spreading pain and chaos is in your blood."
"That's not true!" I shot back. "I'm not like the rest of them! I… was saved." I mumbled to myself. "I was given the chance to be different. And I'd never do what they did!"
"Words are just that. Words. You want to convince people you're good, then how come those posters are calling you a Lieutenant of the cult. You must have done something to earn that reputation." He shook his head. "The longer you refuse to do this, the less likely you and your friends will escape Jolin alive."
"Save the threats. I can tell you're just here to change my mind. Did Dahlia send you?"
"…She might have." Ciro admitted with a shrug. "But whether you agree or not, it will still happen. Dahlia has too much riding on this. She'll just change her plans to suit it, with or without you and your friends. So why fight it?" He asked. "What's the point in holding out, especially when it'll bring you nothing but hardships?"
"Because… because…"
I searched my mind for a suitable answer, but for some reason Captain Enyeto's words were what hit me.
'All I want is for my people to feel safe. Like the way I felt back in the Age of Heroes… where I could say with confidence that peace would last.'
"Because… it's what a hero would do."
Ciro's mismatched eyes flashed dangerously. "What… what did you just say?"
"It's not what a Hacker would do," I continued unashamed, "but it is what a hero should do. A hero would hold out. A hero would spit in Dahlia's face at the mere mention of her crazy plan. And a hero," I raised my voice, "wouldn't stand by and let her have her way."
Ciro tugged at his facemask. "Don't talk to me about being a hero." He said through his teeth. "Nobody knows more about that than me."
"Then you should know to stop Dahlia." I shot back. "If her plan works, Desideratum and the Berserkers will be milking Jolin of emeralds for eternity."
"That isn't my problem! I'm not going to cross Dahlia when I'm so close to claiming another artif—I won't!"
"You said you needed whatever Dahlia had to fight evil, but you don't really mean it." I accused. "Standing by and watching this happen makes you no better than the scum that ended the Age of Heroes."
"DON'T!" He bellowed, kicking me in the side and sending me crashing into the cell bars. "PRESUME! ANYTHING!"
His face was livid as he rounded on me, kicking me over and lifting me by the collar of my sweater.
"I don't want to hear any of that Age of Heroes drivel from you as if you were there and I wasn't." He hissed. "I was there. I was Notch's Captain when he ruled Ringwood. I saw the model that everyone admired and emulated. I know exactly what kind of person he was. And let me tell you, he was no hero."
He threw me against the cell bars, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.
"A hero… wouldn't have left us when we needed him most." Ciro muttered sadly as he turned his back on me once more.
My body was lying motionless on its side as I watched the bounty hunter mutter quietly to himself.
"He had no idea... how valuable his life was." He said. "What he meant to so many. What he meant… to me…" Ciro raised a hand to his face. "He never realized what his death would mean for Minecraftia."
He lifted his head. "And instead of living as a symbol, he threw his life away… and entrusted our future in the hands of a ten-digit Crafter he'd never even met! He was never a hero!"
Again, Ciro rounded on me. "Listen up, Hacker. Heroes are dead because Notch is dead and nobody has been able to take his place for hundreds of years. I refuse to throw my life away like that! If being a hero means being like Notch, then I'll refuse that too! I'll survive and save Minecraftia… even if it means making some sacrifices along the way."
He tugged his mask back over his face and splashed me with another pair of paralysis potions.
"You want to be a hero so bad, you'll get your wish. Because after the Review—when Dahlia doesn't need you anymore—you'll die like all the others. And nobody will even know about the heroic sacrifices you made."
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 2 Ender Pearls, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 54 Cobblestone, 20 Torches, 37 Coal, 12 Jungle Wood Logs, 64 Jungle Wood Planks, 16 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 11 Cooked Porkchops, 1 Water Bucket, 9 String, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Mending I, Unbreaking I], 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 5 Emeralds, 2 Gunpowder, 8 Rotten Flesh, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}
[EXP: 23]
Inventory (Floyd): {Empty}
[EXP: 29]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Bow, 1 Shears, 2 Levers, 1 Golden Shovel [Silk Touch I, Unbreaking III], 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Stone Button, 5 Redstone Torches, 9 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 28 Redstone, 18 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 21 Cobblestone, 25 Dirt, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 25 Gunpowder, 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Green], 1 Chainmail Chestplate, 1 Chainmail Leggings, 1 Chainmail Boots, 58 Arrows, 18 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 16 Sugar Cane, 18 Cooked Chicken, 11 Paper, 6 Ink Sacs, 4 Leather, 9 Emeralds, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 12]
Inventory (Soul): 1 Diamond Axe, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 64 Iron Ingots, 57 Iron Ingots, 12 Gold Ingots, 19 Grass Blocks, 1 Milk, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Diamond Chestplate, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Anvil, 1 Bed, 1 Furnace, 35 Torches, 2 Cooked Chicken, 37 Dirt, 64 Cobblestone, 34 Cobblestone, 50 Coal, 38 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}, {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 40]
Inventory (Jade): 1 Iron Sword, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 35 Baked Potatoes, 29 Cooked Porkchops, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 24 Coal, 47 Torches, 38 Jungle Wood Planks, 20 Cobblestone, 1 Water Bucket, 1 Lava Bucket, 1 Compass, 1 Clock, 17 Emeralds, 3 Ender Chests, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Dover Plains}, 1 Paper {Lazuli Entry Pass}
[EXP: 16]
Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Black Shield {Slight Shield} [Blue Cross], 1 Bow [Infinity], 34 Birch Wood Planks, 35 Iron Ingots, 19 Sticks, 13 Torches, 1 Bucket, 1 Crafting Table, 7 Beetroots, 8 Bread, 40 Cooked Mutton, 1 Birch Fence, 1 Bed, 1 Book {Notch Mission II}, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Book {The Art of Peace}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Dover Plains Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Dover Plains}, 1 Map {Mesa}, 1 Compass, 64 Arrows, 2 Glass Bottles, 5 Sugar, 7 Enchanted Golden Apples, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Blue] {Weak}, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots, 64 Emeralds, 64 Emeralds, 64 Emeralds, 60 Emeralds, 2 Bones
[EXP: 7]
Beetroot the Horse
AN: Kind of an awkward ending, but...
...
Nope, I got nothing else to say.